Gospel Reflection Feb 2 – Kim VanHuffel
Sunday, February 2
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
Luke 2:22-40
Gospel:
When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
-and you yourself a sword will pierce-
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.
Gospel Reflection:
I love learning about Scripture. So, whenever I am on the rotation for writing a reflection, I read at least a few commentaries to prepare. I learned a lot after studying this passage. Before I get to the new things though, we need to recognize the most important message is that Jesus is the long awaited Messiah. Simeon and Anna are prophets themselves and represent all of the Old Testament prophets when, upon seeing the baby Jesus they say they have seen God’s salvation, a light to the gentiles and glory for the people of Israel; telling this to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. This feast is called a manifestation feast because it is an encounter with God. The Eastern Church even calls this the Feast of Encounter.
What I did not know though, is this feast used to be called the Purification of Mary, and the reason is what we see in the first line “their purification.” There are two things going on in this story. First is the redemption of the firstborn, and the second is the purification of the Mother, who was seen to be ritually unclean for 40 days after giving birth to a son. Because the firstborn “belongs” to God, he needs to be bought back from God by the parents for the price of 5 shekels. For the purification of the mother, the cost is two young pigeons, if she is poor.
Why is this all important? First, because anyone living at the time of Luke’s writing would have known about the cost to “buy back” the son, but Luke specifically leaves that part out. It didn’t happen. Jesus is not “bought back” because Jesus always has and always will belong fully to God, his Father. And it is fitting this takes place in the temple, because, as Luke reinforces in the very next scene when Jesus is 12 years old, this is his Father’s house. And why is it important for Luke to tell us about the two pigeons as the price for Mary’s cleansing? Because Luke’s Gospel is the gospel to the poor and to the gentiles, and he makes it clear from the beginning that Jesus was born into a poor family, and is a light to the entire world.
I loved reflecting on this because it makes Jesus’ humanity and divinity so real in my mind at the same time. He is a human baby born into a poor family, but belongs fully to God the Father because he is divine. Also, I share Luke’s theology that we have a strong responsibility to the poor. So, when we present ourselves at Church (our version of the Temple), and are made a little more pure as we receive Jesus, let us all leave and hopefully bring more light into the world. God Bless,
Kim VanHuffel
Pastoral Associate